Todays Information Age is Changing the Dynamics of Leadership Roles
The model of leadership as we knew it in the Industrial Age has undergone a massive face-lift. The “command and control” approach no longer works in the Information Age, which is based on a more participative leadership style (rather than authoritarian) -thereby creating more equality between the leader and the follower.
This is because the older, more authoritarian approach does not work with the empowered employees in the current Information Age.
This is the reason why leaders and executives cannot succeed if they lack self-awareness.
Needless to say, the leader of a global organization needs a variety of skills and talents ‘and no single leader could possibly possess all of them at any given time. Today’s leader is faced with financial issues, marketing issues, legal issues, human capital issues, team and leadership issues, technological issues … the list is endless.
Good leaders need to have an innate understanding of their specific skills sets as well as limitations -the type of personal mastery, which helps them become aware of the fact that they cannot possibly deal with every single issue or challenge.A good Executive Coach can help the executive or leader achieve personal mastery and help them cope with the challenges in a much more effective manner.
Effective leaders do not micro-manage their team. They know how to let-go of the day-to-day activities of the business and focus on strategic decision-making to provide strong direction for the organization.They open themselves up to receive feedback from their followers.
In order to be effective, leaders need to recognize the critical difference between what they need to do as compared to what they could possibly delegate to their team.
Behavioral-based Executive Coaching can help in this direction. Developing personal mastery begins with closely watching your own performance. You should make a note of areas in which you shine and the ones you need to polish. Accept these and communicate the same to your team. It is also imperative that leaders acknowledge the fact that making mistakes will only take them closer to success.
Great leaders are aware of the impact they have on others, and are comfortable giving themselves well as others credit for improving.
In today’s Information Age, decisions are made jointly between leaders and followers, who share an equal ground rather than a hierarchical one as was the case in the days past. This has largely changed the corporate culture -where it is now commonplace for leaders to willingly accept feedback from their team. The leadership style has turned into a more participative one, which is conducive to open communication and where mutual trust and respect is paramount.
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